The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-06-18
To the Attorney General.

5lDlc onCo you wv, youi "~e-S -
titled to the earnest consideration of all
who read them; hence how necessary
that you do not appear in the role OF a
special pleader for the liquor traffic;
hence how important that your compar-
ison of prohibition States with license
States be absolutely fair that your sta
tistics be clear of even the appearance
of suppression Of part of the truth
Hired advocates can afford to use just
so much of the case as appears to them
best, leaving to opposing counsel the
labor of completing the picture.
Now | submit that you, as attorney
general of the whole State, OF prohibi-
tionists as well as ants, cannot afford
to appear in so unenviable light before
the citizens of Texas. You will, feel
assured, pardon me for pointing out to
YOU certain connections necessary 10
bring your learned effusion into conform
ity with historical accuracy. We will
pass by your arguments in the first hall
of your paper as irrelevant and
stale. having formed rart of the argu-
ment of every public anti-prohibition
utterance since this question has been
before the people. Let us enquire, my
dear general something about the rev
enue. You state correctly that the
amount received in two years is l,O24,
500, but you fail to tell us that ii the
amount due the state had been paid the
amount would have been about 3,O4O,
900. In two years the state has been
defrauded of over $1,000, 900, by the
saloons. Perhaps you have not read OF
the glaring frauds perpetrated upon the
State by the liquor traffic in regard to
revenues
Allow me to call your attention to the
following facts, CLEANED from commit
tees report made to the last session OF
the legislature: There is reason to be-
lieve, from what your committee has
been able to learn, that our revenue laws
in reference to occupation taxes are being
violated and evaded to a great extent.
In Tarrant county, according to the
records of the comptroller's office in
1885, there were twenty-nine beer and
thirty.three liquor dealers of other classes
doing business under state license,
while for the same year, in the same
county, the United States internal reve
nue. report, shows A beer and 144 liquor
dealers of all other classes doing business
under internal revenue licenses, aggre
eating for the State so; for the United
Safes 1888, 1.-THE state beingdefrauded OF the
sum Of 1874, $50. Continuing, this report
saws: "For the county of Harris for Tho
same year there were doing business
under State licenses, 70 beer dealers, o
of all other dealers, while by the interna
revenue bureau, were issued licenses Il
beer dealers, SO to dealers in all othel
classes of liquors 1874, aggregating 10
the state 1877, for the U. S. 252, defraud
ing the state of the neat little sum OF
S34. 500" Taking the Comptroller's re
port for 1886, allow me to call your at
tention to the following data: Bexal
Co., with the great drinking city of Sar
Antonio, paid state revenue on liquors
$25. 45O.50. Dallas county with every
precinct outside the city under local op
ton paid $77, $50, Galveston, the creates
city of the..state paid to the State liquol
tax SIG, $50 Harris Co., with the city OF
Houston. paid s15,s5O Grayson Co., witt
two populous cities, Denison and Sher
man, paid the sum of s13 ZOO; Tarran
Co., with her young giant, Fl. Worth
paid S14.7 $50. The aggregate sum paic
five of the most populons counties in thu
State is $50, 100 exceeding the amount
paid by the City of Dallas alone jus
IS, $50. One uthing is certain. Dalial
is great drinking town, comparatively
speaking or there has been monstrou'
fraud perpetrated by the liquor traffl'
upon the State. Now. my dear General
1 subject the question that il the liquor
pays only half the revenue due thu
State now, can we hope for bette
enforcement under high licensei
You say to get whisky, men will lie
and you might have added that the same
men will lie just as willingly to aid thu
defrauding liquor seller in defeating thu
enforcement of the stringent license
Jaw you propose. as better remedy thar